New MP calls for end to combative politics

Geoff has been working for the QT since August 2011 covering Ipswich’s rural areas. He started working for APN in January 2010 with the Chinchilla News in western Queensland after growing up on a grain farm. Geoff spends his time out of work watching far too much sport following the Reds, the Broncos and various American teams.

BUNDABERG'S new state member wants an end to the combative back and forth that can dominate politics.

LNP MP David Batt said he believed voters were sick of seeing politicians disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing and instead wanted to see positivity and cooperation.

"Just because that's the way it has always been done doesn't mean it is the way it has to be done,” he said.

"People don't want to just see arguments and disagreements between the parties. They want to see things being done.”

A fierce debate over former treasurer Curtis Pitt's election as Speaker of the House dominated Mr Batt's first time in the chamber.

Mr Batt, who only joined the LNP in 2016, defeated former Labor minister Leanne Donaldson in one of the hardest fought contests in the state.

But he said even then he wanted to run a positive campaign and not concentrate on negatives.

Mr Batt said the reality of being in Queensland Parliament only hit him when he made his oath of office in the chamber, standing before the Premier.

He was named the shadow assistant minister for state development before he had spent a day in the chamber - a job he described as "an honour”.

Mr Batt said his main goal in parliament was to help small businesses expand and hire more people.

"Unemployment is such a big issue for us in the Wide Bay. But it's not just about bringing more businesses to the area, if every existing business hired one more person we wouldn't have a jobs problem,” he said.

"Parliament needs to help make that happen.”

Mr Batt said he would continue to fight for upgrades to the Bundaberg Hospital and local school infrastructure. -NewsRegional